The Cornerstone Arts Program is excited to introduce its summer series of eight week classes, which start June 11th and continue until August 2nd. The Arts Program offers classes for youth and adults in numerous areas of the arts.

Youth Classes are offered for children 1 year old-8th grade and include: Making History, Art with Family, Art with Friends, Using Paints in New Ways, Creative Bookmaking, Textured Art, Recycled Art Projects, Youth Ceramics, Early Tap, Early Jazz, Early Ballet, Youth Ballet, Youth Tap, Youth Jazz, Youth Belly Dance, Zumba, Youth Hip Hop, Martial Arts, Youth Drama, Early Piano, Youth Piano, and more! There’s something to spark the creativity in every child!

Adult classes for 9th grade and older include: Contemporary & Jazz, Hip Hop, Belly Dance of all levels, Line Dancing, Swing, Indian & Bollywood, Pilates, Pilates , Zumba, Yoga, Vocal Performance, Digital Photography, Painting, Drawing and Ceramics. These classes are great opportunities for adults to relax while expressing themselves creatively.

In addition, the Cornerstone Arts Program offers private instruction for all ages in the following areas: Drums, Guitar, Piano, Voice, Strings, Trumpet, Saxophone, and Clarinet.

Cornerstone is also excited to announce new classes for the summer. New adult classes for 9th grade and older include: Acting for Grown-Ups, Fiber Art and Tie Dye, Beginning Sewing for Adults, and Machine Quilting. New youth classes include: Making History, Animals and Art, Hip Hop – Jazz, Family Dance Time, and Beginning Sewing for Youth.

Class registration and workshop registration are available online at www.cornerstonearts.org, or in the building at the Second Floor desk.

Join us in downtown Muncie on Thursday, May 3rd for First Thursday.

The First Thursday gallery walk is a monthly celebration of local art in Muncie's historic downtown district. New monthly exhibits are unveiled in galleries throughout downtown from 5pm to 8pm on the first Thursday of every month. Stroll the streets, meet the artists, enjoy live music, and find free refreshments at nearly every stop.

111 Arts Gallery
(Bicycle Art) - 111 E Main

"Rat rod bikes custom bikes by local artist."

The Artist Within
Advanced Art From Muncie Central and Southside Highschool - 313 S Walnut

May at the Artist Within will feature artwork by advanced high school art students from Muncie Central and Muncie Southside. Art instructors Ana Maria Picardo, Helen Zacek, and Britt Husman have selected "the best of the best" from their advanced two dimensional and three dimensional classes. The show, "Advanced Art", will include drawings, paintings, prints, sculpture, jewelry and ceramics.  The show runs from May 3rd through Saturday May 26th.

Cornerstone Center for the Arts
2^nd Chance - 520 E Main

Gary Zimmerman will be presenting his painting and photography in a show entitled 2nd Chance. Zimmerman is retired from automotive manufacturing and is using his retirement to jump back into his early love of art which he studied in college. He started back by taking a few classes at Cornerstone and his work reflects his love of the creative process of art with a mixture of techniques and media.

The Cornerstone Art Gallery is a public gallery on the second floor of Cornerstone Center for the Arts.

Gallery 308
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly – 308 E Main

Known for his wide range of wild style art through paintings and sculptures, Muncie artist Brian Blair works through a variety of mediums from zany cartoon character types to realistic displays. His paintings are usually acrylic on canvas.  For his sculptures he uses such items as foam, paper mache, latex, or anything else that fits the project. 

His work has been featured on album covers, books, posters, and numerous forms of advertising worldwide and also displayed in art galleries across the country. He has also been featured on such television shows as HGTV's "Our Place", WTHR-13 "Indiana's Own" and WIPB-49 "Portrait of the Artist" series. He was also honored with the Ball State University "Outstanding Young Alumni Award". 

GoldSpace Theater
Muncie Youth Embrace Creativity Bake Sale - 107 S Mulberry

Muncie Youth Embrace Creativity (http://MYECatGoldSpace.com) is a non-profit focused on a year-round performing arts outreach program for the city's youth.

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co.
Paintings and Jewelry: De La Mer et Le Ciel (Of the Sea and Sky) and The New Zealand Collection - 224 E Main

Jan McCune will be sharing her New Zealand trip and subsequent collection of 21 new pendants at 6pm.

At 6:30pm, Suzanne Lambert will be discussing In De La Mer et Le Ciel (Of the Sea and Sky), her collection of sensuous abstract paintings, and discussing how certain poets and authors inspired her latest large-scale acrylic paintings from exotic places.

Muncie Civic Theatre
Paintings by Mary-Anna Welch and Sean Orlosky - 216 E Main

Ohio watercolor artist Mary-Anna Fricano Welch and Civic's artist-in-residence Sean Orlosky will be displaying their paintings. The Vintage Shop will be open, where you can buy beautiful clothes at great prices from Civic's costume department. Janessa Erickson will be selling her original hand-crafted jewelry. Muncie Civic Theatre board members will be on hand to describe the new theatre season and sell season tickets.

Rose Court
Paintings by Abigail LaBrum - 125 E Charles

Abigail LaBrum is a sophomore at Ball State, majoring in painting and art history. She will be exhibiting her work in oil paints and watercolor.

Savage’s Ale House
The Work of Alexa Camacho - 127 High

Arizona artist Alexa Camacho will be displaying sketches, watercolors, collages and other raw displays of technique.

Yart
Corner of Walnut & Charles

This community art sale, with a goal of making art affordable and accessible to everyone, brings together artists and art patrons in a casual and unique setting. Spring Yart 2012 will have oil/acrylic/watercolor paintings, knits for children and adults, beaded jewelry, drawings, fused glass art and jewelry, sculpture, lampwork glass beads, knit stuffed animals, nature photography, clothing, psychedelic digital art, mosaics, leaf castings, and the Full Circle Arts Co-Op's Hands-On Children's Art Activity Area.

Phoebe Wantz writes...

Spotlight, please! Slinky shoulder roll! Tip my hat to Cast and Crew of CHICAGO!

It was a tribute, as much as a revival, to Bob Fosse. Muncie Civic did Fosse and themselves proud Friday night with the opening of CHICAGO on their Mainstage Theatre to an almost full house. Under Michael Daehn's sharp direction, and the wonderful Musical Direction of Michael Williamson, and the outstanding choreography of Alexandria Van Paris and Heather A. Closson, any newcomers to the trademark Fosse dance style will be dazzled, and those who have seen it before will be thrilled to see once more just how smart, sexy, and exciting this brand of choreography was, or is. Watch those swiveling wrists, slinky shoulder rolls, and angular poses and relive this and other Fosse productions such as "Cabaret" and "Sweet Charity."

The musical was considered too dark when it first appeared in 1975, but it is right in keeping with today's justice system with all the "razzle dazzle" about manipulating jurors and the pseudo celebrity of criminals.

With an 11-piece orchestra in the pit under the precise and marvelous direction of Michael Williamson, the cast performs the overlooked 1975 score by John Kander and Fred Ebb sans props and period attire for the most part. Patty Daehn's costumes are mostly variations of black formal wear/lingerie, mini-dresses, or both, which vaguely suggest a 1920's gangland flavor while offering abundant opportunity for the women to display their leggy assets, yet another Fosse trademark.

Michael Daehn must be commended for leading this cast in this homage, which in lesser hands, could have been a museum piece, or, quite frankly with many of the roles cast with such young performers a less than outstanding performance. Daehn surmounted all obstacles thrown in his path (and there were many...illness, BSU commitments and auditions) to give Muncie audiences an evening to remember of beautiful voices and magnificent dancing. Kudos, Mr. Director!

From the sizzling "All that Jazz" to the expertly staged and performed "Cell Block Tango" in which Carolyn Barry (Velma Kelly) leads the female chorus through a darkly hilarious rendition of excuses of why it's OK to commit murder the song gives each performer a time to shine in the spotlight.....loved it!

CHICAGO is set in the 1920's in the title city and based on a true story of the time. Roxie Hart (Alexandria Van Paris) is married to Amos Hart (Zach Tabor) a real loser whose self-esteem is so low he sings an ode to himself called "Mr. Cellophane Man." This is Tabor's moment to shine and shine he did. The audience loved him. Roxie shoots and kills her lover and is sent to prison to await trial. There she meets the mercenary, but all to attentive warden, "Mama" Morton, which is wickedly played by Amanda Hummer. Prison inmates to keep Roxie company is a sultry chorus of tough-as-nails jailbirds, headed by the conniving Velma Kelly (Barry) who dreams of having her criminal celebrity rocket her into showbiz success.

However Velma's star is overshadowed by Roxie who becomes the new "criminal du jour." Both women hire hot shot lawyer, Billy Flynn (Corey Rudell) who takes an interest in both women for $5000 reasons and revamping Roxie's image from moll to doll.

Van Paris, acting in a broad style, which seems right out of a vaudeville sketch, hits just the right balance between cold-hearted dame and scared gal-done-wrong. She wins over the audience with her bright personality, warm phrasing, and way with a lyric, which shows through and radiates out through the auditorium. Barry, with a short cap haircut, and her toned dancer's body, was perfect for the contortions of the choreography, and couldn't be better as the bitter con with stars in her eyes.

Rudell, in a Ziegfield-style number with the female chorus equipped with huge white feather fans, croons in 1920's style that all he cares about is money.....truly a show stopper in my opinion.....very well done.

An extremely hilarious performance was given by Mary Sunshine (C. Ricks). I will not spoil this for you by describing it here....just sit back and enjoy!

What this show proves is that musicals are about songs and performers, not scenery. Although I must say that David Sherrill did a grand job on the CHICAGO lit up sign and the ROXIE sign....I was impressed.

Due to the outstanding choreography and the dancing of the chorus, I want to give them all recognition here. I know how difficult this was and you were all so very talented! Female Ensemble: Cynthia Nesbit, Shelby Putlak, Natalie Masini, Caitlin Burnham, Casey Prins, Anna Segatti, Sam McNulty. Male Ensemble: Jimmy Stipanowich (M.C.), Tristan James, Ryan Heneisen, Dylan Passman, Fletcher Harold Michaelis Oakes, Cameron Tragesser, Kyler Kays.

Only thing that threw me off just a little, and trust me, it is not enough to keep you away from this fabulous show. But, I have never seen a picture anywhere of a lady from the 1920's with ponytails high on her head. I know we're not trying to be exact period here, but 1920's and ponytails? 1920's hairstyles would have been nice, but....oh, well.....minor thing.

Do not miss this fine presentation by Muncie Civic Theatre. You can purchase Tickets Online! Muncie Civic Theatre presents CHICAGO on the Mainstage Theatre, April 20th-21st, 27th-29th & May 3rd-5th. Thursday through Saturday performances are at 7:30pm and the Sunday matinee on April 29th is at 2:00pm.

Calling all bands! The performer application period for MMF 2012 has begun! If you would like to be booked to perform at this year's festival, head over to MuncieMusicFest.com and apply to perform. The deadline to apply is July 1st. Please help spread the word to local musicians about this opportunity!

Muncie MusicFest is an annual music festival that takes place in the streets and indoor venues of downtown Muncie, IN. It was started in 2007 to replace End of Summer Jam with an outdoor concert event that showcases the talent of the Muncie music community. Proceeds from Muncie MusicFest go toward supporting the Muncie Downtown Development Partnership.

Benjamin Lancaster writes:

Dog Named Spot Media, an independent film production company located in Muncie, IN, is proud to announce the preview screening of its second feature film, Lightning in a Bottle. The movie is a fantasy action/adventure, defying typical indie film limits. The screening will be held in the Paramount Theatre Center in Anderson, IN on April 27th at 7:30pm. Tickets are $8 and will be sold at the door.

Lightning in a Bottle stars Jenna Bowers as Elysia, a college graduate recruited by a secret organization that protects a small Indiana town from dark magical forces. When people in the town start going missing, it's up to Greg (Josh Baker), the group's leader, and Ambrose (Eric T. Schroeder), a backwards living wizard, to stop the person or creature behind it. The film also stars Abby White, Sonja Rees, Rayna Long, Ben Rockey, Apollo Bacala, and Jim Dougherty.

The evening will also be accompanied by a handful of short films produced by friends of the project and an announcement of a future project from Dog Named Spot Media. Concessions will be available, and both the film's poster and soundtrack will be for sale.

Lighting in a Bottle, is a microbudget film shot exclusive in East Central Indiana, including such regional landmarks as the Mounds State Park, the Paramount Theater, Prairie Creek Reservoir, the Kitzelman Mansion and the Irving Theater.  Director Benjamin Lancaster commented on the challenges of making a feature length fantasy film on a budget of $6,500.  “We really believe that just because we’re working with a small budget, and just because we are working with an independent film, that certain genres of film shouldn’t be off limits to us,” he said. “I think if anyone looks at this film, and looks at our budget, they’ll be amazed at what we pulled off.”

Dog Named Spot Media’s Creative Director Lemmy Saylor is also looking forward to the screening. “It’s really fun to get to those key moments in a story when you really feel like the audience is going to be on the edge of their seats, hoping they won’t fall out before the end of the film,” he said.  “It will really surprise people with the amount of work and the amount of storytelling that has gone into it.”

About Dog Named Spot Media

Dog Named Spot Media is a sole proprietorship media company that seeks to provide high quality HD video production services, engaging multi-media advertisements, and independently produced entertainment.

The company offers a wide range of media products and services, from various kinds of video projects, including television ads, event videography, and web media, to Flash animation and motion graphics. Their first feature film Finding Xanadu, has been screened at several regional film festivals.  Benjamin Lancaster (President of Dog Named Spot Media and Writer/Director/Producer of Lightning in a Bottle) is available for interviews at 765-228-1689.

A electronic press kit is availible for download. (127MB)

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